Cardinal Flower
An easy-care native perennial, cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) sends up spikes of bright red-, white-, or rose-color flowers from midsummer to fall. This gorgeous plant is highly attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds, and it's also deer- and rabbit-resistant.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist to wet soil
Size: Up to 4 feet tall
Zones: 3-9
Corkscrew Rush
One of the most interesting members of the rush family, corkscrew rush (Juncus effusus 'Spiralis') develops dark green, twisted, and spiraled foliage making it a great choice for moist landscapes or container gardens since it's a plant that likes wet soil. The plants grow 10-12 inches tall and produce small white flowers in the summer. Corkscrew rush spreads slowly by underground rhizomes, so plant it in pots to keep it contained. In the north, the plants will die back to the ground in the winter but re-emerge in the spring.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and wet soil
Size: Up to 12 inches tall
Zones: 5-11
Creeping Jenny
For a plant that grows just a few inches tall, creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) packs a big punch of color. This ground-hugging perennial plant that likes wet soil sports bright chartreuse foliage that will quickly carpet any damp area. The plant forms new roots at each leaf node as it crawls across the ground, so it doesn't take long to spread through the garden. Creeping Jenny also develops small yellow flowers in the early summer. The leaves are the brightest when the plants are grown in full sun.
Test Garden Tip
In some areas, creeping Jenny is considered invasive, so plant with caution.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and consistently moist to wet soil
Size: Up to 2 inches tall
Zones: 3-9
Elephant's Ear
Named for their pachyderm-size leaves, elephant's ears (Alocasia spp.) are easy-care tropical perennials that come in various colors and bicolors. In the north, grow elephant's ears in pots and move them indoors before the first frost. Keep them in a cool, bright location until spring returns.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and consistently moist soil
Size: Up to 6 feet tall
Zones: 10-11
Hardy Hibiscus
You'll get big, bold color when you plant hardy hibiscus in your landscape. These heat-loving beauties thrive in rich, moist soil, developing dinner-plate-size blooms from midsummer until fall. Hardy hibiscus is available in a wide variety of colors and bicolors. In the north, the plants are slow to break dormancy in the spring, but once the weather heats up, they burst into new growth.
Growing Conditions: Full sun and consistently moist soil
Size: Up to 6 feet tall
Zones: 4-9
Horsetail
If you're looking for a no-work native perennial plant that likes wet soil, consider horsetail (Equisetum hyemale). It's prized for its stiff, upright, bamboolike, dark green, segmented stems. Horsetail, also commonly called scouring rush, proliferates by underground runners in moist soil or shallow water.
Test Garden Tip
Horsetail can grow aggressively, so make sure to keep it contained.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to full shade and wet soil or standing water
Size: Up to 3 feet tall
Zones: 4-9
Japanese Iris
Wet, acidic soil is the perfect environment for Japanese iris (Iris ensata). These tall, elegant perennials are available in single, double, and peony-flower forms in shades of blue, pink, white, lavender, or violet. In June and July, they produce spectacular 6-inch-wide blooms. Japanese iris prefer to live in shallow water but survive on higher ground if the soil stays moist.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and consistently moist soil
Size: Up to 4 feet tall
Zones: 4-9
Joe Pye Weed
All you have to do with Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium perfoliatum) is plant it and stand back. This robust perennial needs little coddling and develops masses of mauve flower heads in the late summer and fall. Joe Pye is a plant that likes wet soil and has no insect or disease problems. Joe Pye weed's nectar-rich blooms also are a butterfly favorite. This plant can grow 5-8 feet tall, so if space is a problem, look for the dwarf variety 'Little Joe' that only grows 3-4 feet tall.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and moist to wet soil
Size: Up to 8 feet tall
Zones: 3-10
Marsh Marigold
The cheerful buttercup-yellow marsh marigold flowers (Caltha palustris) burst into bloom in the early spring, making this little native a must-have for wet sites. Forming 12-inch-tall clumps, marsh marigold looks terrific planted at the water's edge. Although they can survive drought, the plants will go dormant and lose their leaves if the soil dries out. Marsh marigold is also deer-resistant.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and consistently moist soil
Size: Up to 12 inches tall
Zones: 3-7
Obedient Plant
An easy-care native, obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) is prized for its tall spikes of pink or white snapdragon-like blooms that appear from June until September. However, this fast-growing plant can get out of hand, so dig and divide it every two to three years to keep it in check. Variety 'Vivid', shown here, is a compact form that grows 1-2 feet tall with dark pink blooms.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and consistently moist to wet soil
Size: Up to 4 feet tall
Zones: 3-9
Papyrus
You don't have to live on the Nile River to enjoy papyrus (Cyperus papyrus). This heat-loving tropical perennial has graceful stems topped by an umbrella of narrow leaves. Papyrus also develops small greenish-brown flowers from midsummer until fall. In the north, grow papyrus in pots and bring the plants indoors before the first frost. Set the pot near a sunny window, and since it's a plant that likes wet soil, let it stand in a water-filled saucer. Then, move the plants back outdoors when the weather warms.
Growing Conditions: Full sun and very moist soil or shallow standing water
Size: Up to 5 feet tall
Zones: 9-10
Pickerel Weed
Ideal for shallow, standing water, pickerel weed (Pontederia cordata) develops pretty spikes of pale blue flowers from June through October. Pickerel weed is a native plant that grows 2-4 feet tall with large, arrowhead-shaped leaves. It forms thick clumps; if you don't want the plants to spread, grow them in containers and sink the pots at the water's edge. The flowers are also attractive to butterflies.
Growing Conditions: Full sun and wet soil (ideally on the edge of a pond) in 3 to 5 inches of standing water
Size: Up to 4 feet tall
Zones: 3-10
Swamp Milkweed
Growing 4-5 feet tall, swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) makes a bold statement in the landscape. This moisture-loving native plant produces nectar-rich flowers in mid to late summer that are highly attractive to butterflies. Flower colors include white, pink, or mauve. Monarch butterfly larvae also dine on the plant's foliage.
Growing Conditions: Full sun and consistently moist to wet soil
Size: Up to 5 feet tall
Zones: 3-6
Swamp Sunflower
A tough-as-nails native perennial, swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius) is covered with hundreds of bright yellow, daisylike flowers in the late summer and fall. Swamp sunflower is a bushy giant of a plant that likes wet soil and sunshine, growing 5-8 feet tall by 4 feet wide. There's a dwarf form that grows only 18 inches tall.
Growing Conditions: Full sun and consistently moist soil
Size: Up to 8 feet tall
Zones: 6-9